Iraq Stars League


The Iraq Stars League is the highest level of the Iraqi football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Iraqi Premier Division League. It is governed by the Iraqi Pro League Association.
The league was formed by the Iraq Football Association in 1974 as the Iraqi National Clubs First Division League, the first nationwide league of clubs in Iraq, and later became known as the Iraqi Premier League. In 2023, the competition was rebranded as the Iraq Stars League and transitioned into a fully professional competition. The current format sees 20 teams playing 38 matches each, totalling 380 matches in the season.
Of the 81 teams to have competed since the inception of the league in 1974, eleven have won the title. Al-Zawraa are the most successful club with 14 titles, followed by Al-Shorta, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya and Al-Talaba ; these four clubs together contest the Baghdad derbies. The current league champions are Al-Shorta, who won their fourth consecutive title in the 2024–25 season.

History

Origins

Up until 1973, leagues in Iraq were contested at a regional level. The Central FA League, the Basra League and the Kirkuk League|Kirkuk League] were all founded in 1948, while the Mosul League was founded in 1950. The first nationwide league to be held in the country was in the 1973–74 season when the Iraqi National First Division League was formed, with Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya being crowned champions. The IFA then decided to replace the competition with a new National Clubs First Division League which would only be open to clubs and not institute-representative teams.

Foundation

The league held its first season in 1974–75 and was originally composed of ten clubs. The league's first ever goal was scored by Falah Hassan of Al-Tayaran in a 1–1 draw with Al-Sinaa. Al-Tayaran were crowned champions of the inaugural season which featured the following teams:

"Stars League" formation

On 4 June 2023, Iraq Football Association signed a three-year partnership agreement with Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional to transform the Iraqi Premier League into a professional league from the 2023–24 season. The competition is named the Iraq Stars League and is designed to meet the licensing criteria set down by the Asian Football Confederation. A new association named the Iraqi Pro League Association, chaired by Javier Jiménez Sacristán and Matteo Mantovani, was formed to operate the competition and supervise the associated youth leagues. In addition, LaLiga began training an Iraqi management team to assume full operational control of the league once the partnership concludes. A start date of 26 October 2023 was set for the first Stars League season.

"Baghdad's Big Four" dominance

Since the league's inception, it has been dominated by the four biggest clubs in Baghdad: Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, Al-Shorta, Al-Talaba and Al-Zawraa, who together contest the Baghdad derbies. From the 1989–90 season until the 2005–06 season, the league was won by one of the four Baghdad teams every time.
After the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, players started to leave the Baghdad-based clubs and join clubs in northern Iraq such as Erbil and Duhok due to the economic instability and security issues in the capital city. This migration of talent led to a shift in the dominance of the "Big Four" as Erbil won three consecutive league titles from 2007 to 2009 with Duhok winning the league in 2010. In the 2008–09 season, none of Baghdad's Big Four clubs finished in the top four and this is the only time that this has happened in the history of the league; the top four spots were occupied by Erbil, Al-Najaf, Duhok and Al-Amana. However, Baghdad's Big Four have since returned to dominating the league, having won all titles since 2015–16.

Competition format

Competition

There are currently 20 clubs in the Iraq Stars League. Over the course of a season, each club plays the others twice, once at home and once away, for a total of 38 games.
Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, followed by head-to-head points, head-to-head goal difference, total goal difference, goals scored and number of wins. If teams remain level after all these criteria, teams are deemed to occupy the same position. If there is a tie for the championship, for relegation, or for qualification to other competitions, a play-off match at a neutral venue decides rank.
The two teams at the bottom of the league table are relegated to the Iraqi Premier Division League, while the top two teams in the Premier Division League are promoted to the Stars League. The 18th-placed team in the Stars League competes in a play-off with the winner of the play-out round between the 3rd and 4th-placed teams from the Premier Division League for a place in the following season's Stars League. Each club must register a 25-man squad for the season, but are not required to register players who have been registered for their reserve or youth teams. Each club is allowed a maximum of six foreign outfield players in their squad, and can register one additional foreign player of Yemeni nationality provided that the player has represented the Yemen national team in the past three years. Only six foreign players including Yemeni players can play at any given time, and no more than two players from countries ranked below 90th in the FIFA Men's World Ranking can play at any given time. A maximum of five substitutions are available per match for each team.
The winners of the league qualify for the Iraqi Super Cup, a match played against the winners of the Iraq FA Cup.

Clubs

2025–26 season

Twenty clubs are competing in the 2025–26 Iraq Stars League, including three promoted from the 2024–25 [Iraqi Premier Division League|Premier Division League]:
2025–26
Club		2024–25
Position		First season in
the league		Seasons
in the
league		First season of
current spell in
the league		TitlesMost
recent title
Al-Gharrafb2nd 2025–2612025–260–
Al-Kahrabaa13th2004–05212014–150–
Al-Karkh15th1990–91302018–190–
Al-Karmab8th2024–2522024–250–
Al-Minaa16th1975–76482023–2411977–78
Al-Mosul1st 1982–83212025–260–
Al-Naftb6th1985–86411985–860–
Al-Najafb14th1987–88391987–880–
Al-Qasimb10th2019–2072019–200–
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiyaa, b5th1974–75521974–7572020–21
Al-Shortaa, b1st1974–75521974–7582024–25
Al-Talabab4th1975–76511975–7652001–02
Al-Zawraab2nd1975–76511975–76142017–18
Amanat Baghdad4th playoffs
1977–78282025–260–
Diyala17th1975–76162024–250–
Duhok7th1988–89232022–2312009–10
Erbil12th1987–88342018–1942011–12
Maysan SC|Naft Maysan]11th2009–10152013–140–
Newrozb9th2021–2252021–220–
Zakho3rd2002–03212019–200–

a: Founding member of the league

b: Never been relegated from the league

Map



Seasons

Since its first season in 1974–75 up until the 2025–26 season, 81 teams have participated in at least one season of the top division. Teams in bold are competing in the Iraq Stars League in the 2025–26 season. Teams in italics represent defunct teams. The year in parentheses represents the most recent year of participation at this level. Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya and Al-Shorta are the only teams to have competed in every season.

Champions

ClubTitlesWinning seasons
Al-Zawraa141975–76, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1990–91, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1998–99,, 2000–01, 2005–06, 2010–11, 2015–16, 2017–18
Al-Shorta81979–80, 1997–98, 2012–13, 2018–19, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25
71974–75, 1989–90, 1991–92, 1996–97, 2004–05, 2016–17, 2020–21
Al-Talaba51980–81, 1981–82, 1985–86, 1992–93, 2001–02
Erbil42006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2011–12
Al-Rasheed31986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89
Al-Minaa11977–78
Salahaddin11982–83
Al-Jaish11983–84
Duhok12009–10
Naft Al-Wasat12014–15

International competitions

Qualification for Asian competitions

The champions of the Iraq Stars League qualify for the subsequent season's AFC Champions League Elite league stage, while the winners of the Iraq FA Cup qualify for the AFC Champions League Two group stage. If the same team wins both the Stars League and the FA Cup, the Stars League runners-up qualify for the AFC Champions League Two group stage. The number of places allocated to Iraqi clubs in AFC competitions depends on the country's position in the AFC club competitions ranking, which is calculated based on the performance of clubs in AFC competitions over the previous four years.
Collectively, Iraqi teams have reached nine finals of Asian club competitions. Before the foundation of the national league, Aliyat Al-Shorta were the first Iraqi team to participate in the Asian Champion Club Tournament in 1971 and they reached the final, but they refused to play Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv and took the runner-up spot. Al-Rasheed reached the final of the Asian Club Championship in 1989 but they lost a two-legged final on away goals to Al-Saad of Qatar. Al-Talaba reached the final of the 1995 Asian Cup Winners' Cup but they lost it 2–1 to Bellmare Hiratsuka, and five years later, Al-Zawraa lost the final of the same competition 1–0 to Shimizu S-Pulse in 2000. Erbil reached the final of Asia's secondary tournament, the AFC Cup, twice in 2012 and 2014 but lost both times to Al-Kuwait and Al-Qadsia respectively. Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya managed to win the AFC Cup when they beat Indian club Bengaluru FC 1–0 in the 2016 final, and they won the competition for the second consecutive season in 2017 by beating FC Istiklol by the same scoreline. They earned a joint-record third AFC Cup title with a 2–0 defeat of Altyn Asyr in 2018.

Qualification for Arab competitions

Iraqi clubs also participate in the Arab Club Champions Cup, which is organised by the Union of Arab Football Associations, and the AGCFF Gulf Club Champions League, which is organised by the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation.
Al-Shorta won the inaugural edition of the Arab Club Champions Cup in 1982 by defeating Al-Nejmeh 4–2 on aggregate in the final, and Al-Rasheed won the Arab Club Champions Cup three times in a row in 1985, 1986 and 1987 making them the competition's joint-most successful side. Meanwhile, Duhok won the AGCFF Gulf Club Champions League in the 2024–25 season by defeating Al-Qadsia 2–1 on aggregate in the final.

Sponsorship

The league was founded as the National Clubs First Division League and has been renamed several times, with the current name of Stars League remaining in place since 2023. The competition has had title sponsorship rights sold to three companies: Zain Iraq in the 2009–10 season, Asiacell in the 2010–11 and 2011–12 seasons and Fuchs in the 2015–16 season.
PeriodSponsorName
1974–1988No sponsorNational Clubs First Division League
1988–1989No sponsorPan-National Clubs First Division League
1989–1995No sponsorNational Clubs First Division League
1995–1996No sponsorAdvanced League
1996–1999No sponsorPremier League
1999–2000No sponsorFirst Division League
2000–2002No sponsorElite League
2002–2003No sponsorFirst Division League
2003–2009No sponsorPremier League
2009–2010Zain IraqZain Iraq League
2010–2012AsiacellAsiacell Elite League
2012–2013No sponsorElite League
2013–2015No sponsorPremier League
2015–2016FuchsFuchs Premier League
2016–2023No sponsorPremier League
2023–presentNo sponsorStars League

Managers

in the Iraq Stars League are involved in the day-to-day running of the team, including the training, team selection and player acquisition. Their influence varies from club-to-club. Managers are required to have an AFC Pro-Diploma which is the highest level of coaching accreditation issued by the Asian Football Confederation.
ManagerNationalityClubAppointedTime as manager
Iraqayd|2024|8|8sortname|Chasib|Sultan

Players

Top scorers


RankPlayerGoalsClub
1 18020072024Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, Erbil, Al-Najaf
2 17719882012Salahaddin, Al-Zawraa, Al-Talaba, Karbala, Al-Sinaa
3 17119791996Al-Sinaa, Al-Jaish, Al-Rasheed, Al-Zawraa, Al-Shorta
4 17019872004Al-Najaf, Al-Karkh
51692004presentAl-Zawraa, Duhok, Al-Shorta, Al-Minaa
6 16719912010Al-Sinaa, Al-Naft, Diyala, Duhok, Erbil, Kirkuk, Peris
7 16220052023Samarra, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
8 15719832000Al-Shorta, Al-Rasheed, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, Al-Difaa Al-Jawi
9 14619811999Al-Zawraa, Al-Rasheed
10 14519882007Al-Sinaa, Al-Talaba

Bold denotes players still playing in the Iraq Stars League.

Awards

Trophy

The current Iraq Stars League trophy was unveiled on 13 July 2024 and was designed and sculpted by the Iraqi painter and sculptor Ahmed Albahrani. The trophy is predominantly silver in colour and features a silver and gold football at the top. It has a silver base engraved with the words "Iraq Stars League" in both English and Arabic, alongside the competition’s logo and the season.

Records

League records

;Titles
;Wins
;Losses
;Goals

Match records

;Scorelines
;Attendances

Player records

;Appearances
;Titles
;Goals

Managerial records

;Titles
The following managers have won multiple titles:
ManagerClubWinsWinning seasons